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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Emma Graham-Harrison in Jerusalem

Israeli forces in Gaza ‘use civilians as human shields’ against possible booby-traps

Elevated view of a devastated street in Khan Younis, with the sun setting behind the roofs
Khan Younis earlier this month. Palestinian civilians picked up were said to be referred to as ‘shawish’, slang for a low-ranking soldier. Photograph: Haitham Imad/EPA

Israeli soldiers are using Palestinian civilians as human shields in Gaza to enter and clear tunnels and buildings they suspect may have been booby-trapped, a leading Israeli NGO and newspaper have reported.

The practice was so widespread across different units fighting in Gaza that it could in effect be considered a “protocol”, said Nadav Weiman, the executive director of Breaking the Silence, a group founded by Israeli combat veterans to document military abuses.

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